Improved shoe-lacing



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.;

WILLAED F. OLIVER, OF LYNN, ASSIGNOR TO BOSTON SHOE STUD AND BUTTONCOMPANY, OF BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVED SHOE-LACING.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLARD F, OLIVER, of

Lynn, in the countyof'Essex and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and 4 vuseful Improvements in Shoe=Lacings5 and I do herebydeclare that the following isa full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference .being had to the accompanying drawings,

making part of this specication, and to -the letters of reference markedthereon, like letters' indicatinglike parts wherever they occur.

To enable Others skilled in the art to-construct and use my invention, Iwill proceed to describe it.

My invention relates to shoe-lacings; and consists in providingthe sidesof the .slit of a shoe with hooks or bearings so 'made and arranged thata lacing-cord may be conveniently slipped orlooped over them for thepurpose of drawing the sides of the slit togetherwithout the use ofeyelets, and in providing the upper hood with a convenient deviceforholdiug the lacing-cord in place when `the sides are thus drawntogether. y

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view, and Fig. 2 is a view ofa part detached.

My hooks or bearings may b e attached to the sides of the slits invarious ways. For

convenience in constructing them, I take two strips of metal, one ofthem long enough to extend from one end to the other of the slit B in ashoe, C, and the other long enough to extend nearly the length of theslit B, leaving space enough atthe upper end to allow a separate hook,D, provided with a device, a,'for fastening the cord, as shown in Fig.2. The front edges of these strips I provide with hooks or bearings A,and their rear. edge opposite the hooks with small projections, and thenI fasten these strips to the sides of slit B by rivets b'passing throughthe projections, and so that the hooks or bearings A, on each side, mayalternate between each other, as clearly` shown in Fig. 1. Near theupper end of' the side upon which .the shorter strip. is placed I attachthe upper or f last hoolqD, and to its side pivot an elbowcatch, a, soarranged that its lower arm, U, may bear against the lacing-cord E, whendated' september e, 186s.

I passed through the hook to hold it in place, as

clearly shown in Fig. 2.

One end ot1 the lacing-oord E, I attach to the shoe C near the lower endof the slit B,

and the other end of the cord may be attached to the upper part of theslit B, or to the hook- D, as shown in Fig. 1.

lthat-is necessary to fasten it` is, slip the cord E over the hooks orbearings A and the hook .D, their draw it tight and' fasten it with thecatch a, or in any other desirable manner.

These hooks 'A may be made separately, instead of forming a part ofametal strip, as the hook D is, and then attached, my object being mainlyto provide the slit B` with alternating hooks or bearings, forconveniently fastening the shoe with a lacing-cord.

In the drawings I have shown my hooks or bearings A attached to a shoeto v,be laced up at the side. When the lacing is at the side, I preferto have these hooks connected with metal strips, for keep the sides ofthe slit straight and prevent them froml wrinkling, or the `top of -tlieshoe from working down.

When the slit isin the front of the shoe, it is Obvious that the metalstrips, with the .bearings A attached, cannot utility and convenience,and I thenattachtlie hooks or bearingsAseparately to the sides of slit,using a lacing-cord in the saine manner as when the slit is at the sideof the shoe, my to provide the slit with hooks or bearings over whichtheobjeet being the same`that is,

the bearings lshouldbe placed opposite to euch l other, for conveniencei-n lacing. 4lythis means I provide a shoe withlfastenings which do.away with the use of holes or eyelets encourse, avoids 'the delay andtinely`,an 1, of truble of inserting the lacing through a V,se-- lriesvof holes, which trouble is frequently greatly increased by the loss ofthe metal point on After the. shoe is placedA upon the foot, all

the reason that these strips j be used with the same l the ends of thestrings, and by the strings," in suchcase, becoming u nraveled, so ortheir equivalents, for receiving and holding that they cannot be readilypnt through the the string, when arranged substantially as set holes. vforth.

By my method of lacing, these metal points 2. -Thecatch or clamp a, withits arm e piv' on the strings are rendered entirely unnecesoted to thehook D, and arranged for l'mlding sary, thus cheapening the manufactureof the the string, substantially as described. strings also, and bothends, being madefas't,

are not ermosed for unraveling. y A WILLARD' F' OLIVER' Having thusdescribed my invention, what' Witnesses Y I claim is'- y J. C.STICKNEY, 1. A shoe provided with a series of hooks,v M. D. BROOKS.

